Valve for hydrants.



UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE.

HORACE FALK NEUMEYER, OF MAOUNGIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

VALVE FOR HYDRANTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,252, dated October 9, 1900.

Application filed June 18 1900. Serial No. 20,739. (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

I provide an improved construction of the valvemechanism located at the lower end of the hydrant and arranged to control the flow'of Be it known that I, HORACE FALK NEU- MEYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Macungie, in the county of Lehigh and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Valve for Hydrants, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in valves for'hydrants and similar structures, the primary object of the invention being to liquid through the hydrant from the main and to automatically drain the delivery-pipe to eliminate the possibility of freezing in the winter.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate the necessity for the employment of internal valves or other movable elements within the plunger or for piercing said plunger to 'form waste-ports, which features of construction not only increase the cost of manufacture, but render the hydrant more liable to derangement.

A still further object of the invention is to effect the closing of the controlling-valve before a drain-channel formed in the face of the plunger-cylinder is opened by the passage of the plunger-valve and to insure the closing of the channel before the controlling-valve is moved sufficiently from its seat to permit the ingress of water from the water-main to the interior of the hydrant, the primary features of the invention'being directed to the accomplishment of the last-named objects.

With these several ends in view the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of hydrant-controlling and waste-valve mechanism hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and defined in the appended claims.

Referring to said drawings, Figure l is a central vertical section of the lower end of a hydrant, showing the plunger or controllingvalve closed and the drain-channel opened for the escape of water from the dischargepipe; and Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the plunger in its raised position to open the plunger-valve and to close the communica tion between the drain-channel and the drain I threaded upper extremity of the foot-cylinder 3 ofthe hydrant. The foot-cylinder 3 is provided with an elbow or angle fitting 4, ar-

ranged for connection through a coupling 5 with the water-main or other source of supply. Above the elbow 4., through which is extended the right-angular passageway 6,

extends an upstanding annular valve-seat '7,

which projects into the interior of the footcylinder 3, which latter defines what may be termed the valve-chamber 8 of the structure.

The usual discharge or delivery pipe 9 is disposed axially within the casing l, and its lower extremity is screwed into the upper end of a hollow plunger 10, at the lower end of which is retained a heavy cup-shaped packing 11, movable within the chamber 8 and comprehending, in effect, a piston, inasmuch as saidpacking fits snugly within the chamber 8 to form a water-tight connection with the walls of said chamber. The piston 11 is retained against the lower end of the plunger by an annular retaining-flange 12, extending from and preferably integral with a hollow valve-plug l3, screwed into the lower end of the plunger and provided between its closed end 14 and the flange 12 with two or more ports 15,through which'liq'uid inflowing from the water-main will find its way to the discharge-pipe when the controlling-valve 16, mounted upon the end of 14 of the valve-plug, is in the open position, as illustrated in Fig. 20f the drawings. Thus when the controlling-valve is opened by the elevation of the plunger the water flows through the passageway 6 to the chamber 8, thence through the ports 15 to the interior of the plunger,and is finally delivered through the pipe 9. It will appear, moreover, that when the plunger is depressed to present the controlling-valve to the valve-seat 7 the inflow of water to the hydrant will be out OE, and the water remaining within the delivery-pipe will tend to flow back through the ports 15 to the interior of the cylinder 3. I have therefore provided for the relief of the valve-chamber by forming in the interior wall 1 hereof a vertical drainchannel 17,extending from a point below the piston 11 in the lowest position thereof to a point slightly above the piston in said position, the upper end of the channel being defined by a horizontal extension 18 thereof. The vertical drain-channel l7 and its horizontal extension 18 constitute a T-shaped channel, the exit or discharge end of which defined by the extension 18 is equal to or greater than the ingress-opening or inlet thereof, said inlet being defined by that. portion of the channel 17 located below the piston 11 in its lowest position. Inasmuch as the particular form of this drain-channel constitutes an important feature of the present invention, attention is called to its specific utility.

It will appear that while the channel 17 must be effective to carry off the water standing in the hydrant above the controlling-valve said channel must be closed by a very slight movement of the piston, as otherwise the escape of water through said channel and around the piston would be permitted upon the opening of the controlling-valve to tap the hydrant. It is for this reason that I have formed the channel with the horizontal extension 18, because said channel will thus be given a discharge-opening equal to its inlet, while at the same time permitting said discharge-opening to be entirely closed upon a very slight movement of the piston, thereby effecting the complete cutoff of the drain to prevent the escape in this direction of water flowinginto the hydrant from the water-main.

It is so absolutely necessary to prevent the escape of water through the drain from the water-main that I have not only sought to accomplish this end by the particular formation of the drain-channel, but have constructed the controlling-valve in a peculiar manner, which appears to be novel and is certainly possessed of great practical utility. This valve I form by inlaying a circular compression-disk 19 in the lowerend 14 of the valveplug, the disk being of suflicient diameter to cause it to seat horizontally upon the end of the valve-seat 7. If this disk completed the construction of the valve, it will readily appear that the slightest movement of the valveplug would open the controlling-valve, permitting water to flow into the cylinder 3 and through the drain-channel until the piston 11 should be raised sufficiently to completely close the upper end of said channel. In fact, this undesirable fiow would be maintained indefinitely, supposing the plunger to be elevated and retained in a position sufficiently high to open the controlling-valve,but insuificient to close the upper end of the drain-channel. In view of these considerations I impose against the under face of the disk 19 a metal valve extension or plug 20, upon which is fitted from the under side a cup-shaped packing 21, held against the valve extension 20 by a washer 22, the disk 19, the extension 20, the cup-shaped packing 21, and the washer 22 being retained in proper assemblage by a screw 23,piercing each of said elements axially and extended into a threaded socket 24 in the end 14 of the valve-plug.

By reference to the drawings it will be seen that the upper edge of the packing 21 does not extend quite to the face of the disk 19, the intervening space being left to accommodate the slight elevation of the upper edge of .said packing as the latter is forced into and is compressed by the internal wall of the valve-seat 7, for which the valve extension constitutes, in effect, a stopper and provides the controlling-valve with an active face auxiliary to the horizontal face of the valve defined by the under surface of the disk 19. It will now be seen that if the plunger is elevated the extension or stopper of the controlling-valve will maintain a Water-tight closure within the valve-seat 7 until the piston 11 has completely closed the upper end of the drain-channel, at which time said plug or extension will be completely withdrawn from the valve-seat and the water will find its way to the discharge-pipe in the manner hereinbefore described without the possibility of even the slightest escape through the drainchannel.

In like manner the valve extension will enter the valve-seat 7 and will effectually cut off the inflow of water before the valve proper has become seated and before the drain-channel is opened by the movement of the piston. As soon, however, as the piston has opened the extension 18 of the channel both active faces of the controlling-valve will have become seated and the water remaining within the hydrant above the controlling-valve will escape to the interior of the cylinder 3 through the ports 15 in the valve-plug and will pass thence around the piston through the drainchannel and its extension to the interior of the plunger-casing and thence through the drain-port 24 to the exterior of the hydrant. The drain-port 24 may be and preferably is protected by an integral cap or shed 25, cast upon the exterior of the casing 2.

From the foregoing it will appear that I have produced a simple and inexpensive construction and arrangement of the valve mechanism located at the lower end of hydrants or other devices of like character; but it should be distinctly understood that I reserve the right to effect such changes or modifications as may appear to me to be expedient from time to time, so long as no departure from the spirit of the invention is comprehended thereby.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a cylinder having a passage-way for the induction of liquid, of a piston within the cylinder and having a ICC valve controlling the passage-way, said cylinder being provided witha drain-channeldisposed in the direction of movement of the piston and with a transverse channel extension located immediately above the piston in the closed position of the valve.

2. Thecombination with a cylinder having a passage-Way for the induction of liquid and a valve-seat, of a hollow plungerhaving means of communication with theinterior of the cylinder, said plunger being provided with a piston fitting closely within the cylinder and with a valve extension disposed Within the valve-seat, said cylinder being provided with'a drain-channel extended below the piston and with a transverse channel extension disposed immediately above the piston in the closed position of the valve, said valve extension being capable of maintaining its connection with the valve -'seat during the movement of the piston to close the channel extension.

3. The combination with a cylinder having a longitudinal drain-channel terminating at its upper end in a transverse channel extension extended in opposite directions from the channel, and an inwardly-extending valveseat located at the lower end of the cylinder and surrounding a passage-way for the induction of liquid, a plunger having means of communication with the cylinder and provided with a piston fitting closely within the cylinder and with a controlling-valve located below the piston, said controlling-valve com prehending a valve extension extending within the valve-seatfa distance at least equal to the movement of the piston necessary to efiect the closing of the channel extension.

4. The combination with a cylinder having an internal, longitudinal drain-channel tersurrounding a passage-way for the induction of liquid, a discharge-pipe. located above the cylinder, a hollow plunger provided with a piston fitting closely within: the cylinder,-a

separable valve-plug fast with the lower 'end of the plunger and provided with ports located below the piston,- a valve inlaid in the mensions to seat upon the valve-seat, said valve being provided with an axial valve extension extending into the valve-seat to a distance greater than the width of the channel extension, and a plunger-casing screwed upon the upper end of the cylinder and provided with a drain-port.

5. A valve-plug of the character described having a compression-disk inlaid in its end face, a metal valve extension disposed against said disk, a compressible cup-shaped packing disposed against the under side of said valve extension and having its edges slightly removed from contact with the disk, a metal washer disposed against the under face of the packing, anda screw piercing the washer,

packing, valve extension and compressiondisk and screwed into the valve-plug to retain said elements in a permanent assemblage.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HORACE FALK NEUMEYER.

Witnesses:

D. J. NAGLE, O. LENTZ.

end of the valve-plug and of sufficient di- 

